Chapter 247 246. Grit your teeth and hold on!
Gasol is not unwilling to leave the low post. He often leaves the low post when partnering with Bynum.

But Bynum's low-post singles ability is second to none among centers in the league.

If Howard had Bynum's low-post footwork, proficient hook shots with both hands, soft touch, and passing ability, Gasol would have no objection at all.

But Howard can hardly pass the ball. He used to be able to score by dribbling past the defense when he was on the Magic, but after suffering a back injury, he lost that ability. This season, his singles turnover rate is higher than his career, with a 30% singles turnover rate. As a center, his back-to-the-basket success rate is less than 40%, which is a disaster.

The most important thing is that once Howard falls into the low post to receive the ball and play one-on-one, it means that this round of offense is over and he can retreat.

The biggest feature of Howard's one-on-one play is that there is no matching tactics for it, not only when he was with the Lakers, but also when he was with the Magic. When he was playing one-on-one, the wing shooters were useless, and he couldn't pass the ball when he was double-teamed. In the 10-11 season, when his personal performance was at its peak, he would turn the ball over twice for every assist he made. Van Gundy simply told him not to pass the ball, and when he was double-teamed, he would jump up and smash the ball into the basket. Missing the shot was better than turning the ball over.

Whenever Gasol sees Howard posting up in the low post, he gets a headache and feels frustrated - with such good athletic ability, he has to do things he's not good at, such as cutting to the basket, second offense, or wing screens, but instead has to do things he's not good at.

Some people have the talent to develop their ability to attack, but they don't do so and only think about how to simplify the way to score.

Howard doesn't have the conditions to develop offensive capabilities, but he is obsessed with taking responsibility...

At 9 o'clock in the evening, the second game of the series between the Lakers and the Thunder began!

Lakers starting lineup: Chris Duhon, Zhang Yang, Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill, Gasol.

Thunder starting lineup: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins.

Gasol defeated Perkins to win the jump ball. The Lakers players pressed forward actively, while the Thunder players retreated actively. Players from both teams were very motivated.

Du Hong received the ball and advanced to the frontcourt. Zhang Yang asked for the ball from Sefolosha on the right side of the free throw line. Sefolosha tried to go around but was blocked by Zhang Yang behind him. Du Hong hit the ball and successfully sent it to Zhang Yang.

Du Hong moved to the left corner, and Zhang Yang felt that Sefrosa was sticking closely to him from behind, unlike at the beginning of the previous game when he tried to defend his shot.

He looked sideways at the other side's defense, and sure enough, the other side's overall defense had been adjusted in a targeted manner...

Zhang Yang turned around to face the basket and took a step back with his left foot while dribbling.

Top defensive players are different. This little move was seen by Sefolosha, who immediately pressed forward to prevent the player from retreating.

But Zhang Yang's move was a fake. When Sefrosa pressed forward, he leaned forward and pushed forward, then turned left to bypass Sefrosa and broke into the inside!
Nash on the sidelines applauded. The rhythm of this turn was so good. It was 8% similar to him, and the other % was... that damn Steve Kerr! This turn was two points more impressive!

The Thunder's inside defense came quickly. Zhang Yang was blocked by Ibaka as soon as he reached the elbow area. Perkins stood at the top of the arc in the reasonable collision area in the middle. Durant blocked the space on the right. Durant also used his height and arm span to block Metta World Peace at the right baseline.

Zhang Yang is the type of person that Sefrosa is least good at defending, and his teammates have long been prepared for the possibility that they will not be able to defend him.

When Zhang Yang was about to be trapped in the opponent's frontcourt three-man team, he threw the ball to the free throw line. Gasol lived up to his expectations and moved from the left to the high position in time.

As soon as Gasol received the ball, he was stuck by Sefolosha.

The Thunder's shrinking defense instantly expanded. Perkins blocked the left sideline of the three-second zone to stop Jordan Hill who was cutting in. Durant took two steps outward and stood across Metta World Peace's receiving line.

But Gasol was not in a hurry to pass the ball. After receiving the ball, he judged the opponent's defensive movement and turned his back to prevent being intercepted by Sefolosha. Then he dribbled with his back to the left at a 45-degree angle... and passed it to the top arc!
Zhang Yang moved outside the three-point line, and Ibaka was guarding inside the three-point line!
Gasol's assist this time was so good that even the opposing head coach Brooks praised him in his heart.

Awareness, calmness, and execution are all excellent!
Gasol completely saw through the Thunder's defense and created a great mismatch singles opportunity for Zhang Yang!
Zhang Yang did not waste the opportunity. He changed direction and pushed Ibaka aside, then rushed to the right side of the free throw line and made an easy jump shot!

Harden returned to the inside to receive the serve, and the pressure came again.

In the past two days, they have made targeted defensive adjustments against Zhang San, whose style of play has become wilder. He thought he could defend better today. In addition, the opponent started with Chris Duhon and Jordan Hill, and their spatial containment and overall passing abilities declined. He thought they could better contain Zhang San... But in the opening round, he felt that it was easier for Zhang San to score than in the previous game?
Harden advanced to the frontcourt and gave the first attack to the boss.

Durant played a two-point singles game. Facing the extremely oppressive defense of Metta World Peace, he couldn't create space. He didn't choose to shoot the ball directly. Instead, he dribbled with a crossover step, moved sideways, and broke into the inside before Metta World Peace came back to him!

Durant was about to make a quick stop and jump shot at the left elbow of the three-second zone, but saw that Duhon had already reached that position and Jordan Hill had also blocked the left sideline of the three-second zone.

Durant changed direction to the right, went to the middle, jumped towards Gasol who was stepping on the arc of the reasonable collision zone, raised his hand high, and made a layup... and it went in!
The fans at the scene screamed and cheered continuously when watching this ball.

Durant, who seems to be taller than the opposing power forward Jordan Hill, can actually make such a change of direction and break through to the basket. It's too exaggerated!

Moreover, the point of the layup was so high that Gasol could not block it at all. When the ball left Durant's hand, it felt like it was higher than the basket!
The Lakers had expected that it would be impossible to defend. Durant received the serve and advanced to the frontcourt to pass it to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang did not care about Durant's extremely oppressive attack just now. His tasks tonight were two - defend Harden and score!
Zhang Yang continued to break through... and was beaten up again. Three forwards who were a head taller than him blocked him on the left, front and right. He couldn't afford to offend them, so he passed the ball back to Gasol.

If Durant really shortened to 206cm, Zhang Yang would just step over and throw it...

After passing the ball, Zhang Yang continued to pull out to the right side of the top arc, Gasol passed the ball to... Metta World Peace in the right corner!
Because the one who followed Zhang Yang out of the inside was not Ibaka, but Durant!
As soon as Metta World Peace received the ball, Ibaka blocked him. He made a fake shot and Ibaka pounced on him.

Metta World Peace took a step forward to avoid Ibaka and took a long two-point shot...and it went in!
Zhang Weiping, the commentator of the Imperial TV station, exclaimed: "Metta World Peace shot this ball with such confidence! I didn't expect that this year he would have the best shooting performance since joining the Lakers. After last season, I thought he was going to retire, but he actually mastered his shooting..."

The fans in front of the TV pressed the mute button first to show their respect for the Shuang Ping combination.

However, fans recognized Zhang Weiping's "Wow", and Metta World Peace had the best offensive performance in the four years since he joined the Lakers this season, which was indeed unexpected. If he relied on breaking through the basket to get his performance, there would be nothing surprising, but his athletic ability declined rapidly after he turned 4, and this season he relied on shooting to get his highest score in four years... In fact, in the first seven games of the 30-4 season, he, who was still called Artest at the time, averaged 04 points per game, 05% shooting percentage, 7% shooting percentage at the basket, 24.6% close-range shooting percentage, 49.6% mid-range shooting percentage, 60% long two-point shooting percentage, 40% three-point shooting percentage, and 45% free throw shooting percentage. Before playing against the Pistons, the Pacers started with 42.3 wins and 41 loss, and he started as a double favorite for MVP+DPOY that year.

But he only played seven games that season and was suspended for the next 7 games.

He hadn't played basketball for a year. It was definitely impossible for him to spend every day in the gym training, indulging in debauchery, and all kinds of women... He returned to the court a year later, and his shooting ability had regressed to the level when he first entered the NBA. He was 25 years old when he was suspended. The four years of hard training he had put in the NBA were all ruined. There is no second chance for a person's growth period, and he was never able to get back to the shooting level of that season.

The Lakers' first two offensive rounds amazed the fans and commentators in front of the TV! They played even better than the previous game!
Gasol served as the main supporting point in positional warfare, which was obviously more suitable than Nash. Gasol did not get any assists in these two goals, but he accounted for at least half of the credit for both goals.

Nash's positional offense still needs a player with strong pick-and-roll cutting ability, but the Lakers don't have...

However, the Lakers' defense looks even worse than in G1!

Although Earl Clark is not good at defense, he has good physical conditions, is 208 cm tall, is young and has excellent athletic ability. His template in the 09 draft was Odom. Although Durant can play one-on-one very easily, he always needs to consider how to play.

It's different when playing against Artest. Artest relies purely on strength and movement to predict defense and limit long shots. Durant doesn't have to think about anything at all. He just needs to receive the ball and break through!
When faced with backup defense, Durant would move to a more suitable position to shoot, and when faced with double-teaming, he would pass the ball.

Seeing that Durant was able to pass the ball so easily, Harden kept passing the ball to his boss.

This is what Shubao likes most about Erha. When he is having fun playing, Erha is really willing to give him the ball and let him play to his heart's content, while Guigui always puts himself first when playing. When he is not playing well, Erha can still enjoy the ball like Guigui.

Facing the strong offense of the Thunder led by Durant, the Lakers were still able to compete when Durant and Metta World Peace could maintain their accuracy in long-range shooting. But as the two began to miss shots and Ibaka and Sefolosha on the Thunder's wings performed steadily, the Lakers began to fall behind.

In the last attack of the first quarter, Zhang Yang opened up, and Nash, who came on as a substitute, took advantage of Jamison's screen to break through to the right side of the free throw line and made a quick stop jump shot.

After the first quarter, the Lakers were trailing the Thunder by 35 points at 38 to 3. Nash made this shot, narrowing the gap to 1 goal.

The Lakers played quite well in this quarter. Gasol played for 9 minutes. Although his stats were only 4 points and 2 assists, he organized the team's offense in an orderly manner. Zhang Yang only needed to play one-on-one and pass the ball to Gasol when he was double-teamed.

张杨7投4中，其中三分球1中1，加上2中2的罚球，单节11分2板1助攻。

Most of the time, the Lakers' receiving players did a good job. The long shots of Metta World Peace and Duhon, and the cuts of Jordan Hill were all very accurate. When Nash and Jamison came on as substitutes, their singles performances were also very good.

But the other side performed better!
Durant played the entire first quarter, making 6 of 4 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points and 4 assists in a single quarter, with only 1 turnover!
The Lakers' defense against Durant was just blocking, regardless of whether he would pass the ball or not.

Seeing this score, the fans at the scene felt relieved.

They admitted that the Lakers' offensive adjustments tonight were very good, Zhang Yang scored a lot, and Gasol's passing was pleasing to the eye, but their Thunder team had a more aggressive offense!
The commentators were also saying that the Lakers were only focused on strengthening their offense and forgot about defense... But when the game just started, they were still saying that the Lakers put Nash and Earl Clark on the bench and let Artest and Jordan Hill start. What should they do with their offense...

After the intermission, Zhang Yang and Gasol came on the court and continued to swing!
The situation was more difficult than Zhang Yang had imagined. He had been expecting Durant to have a strong touch in attacking the basket and the opponent's wing to have an average touch, but it turned out that the opponent's touch in G2 was better than in G1.

However, the Lakers won Game 1, which greatly boosted their morale and confidence. They shot more confidently, decisively and accurately, which was normal.

In short, he and Gasol are under a lot of pressure. With this style of play, the offense depends on him and Gasol, but he can only grit his teeth and persevere.

Fortunately, Mr. Naismith came on the court in the last 3 minutes of the first quarter. Facing the defense of Fisher and Nick Collison, he performed well in singles or pick-and-roll shooting, scoring 3 points and 5 assist in 1 minutes, helping him to withstand the scoring pressure after his sister-in-law left the court, and he was not as tired as in the previous game.

At Nash's age, when he doesn't have a strong pick-and-roll forward partner, he is actually at a disadvantage when starting. But it is different when he is a substitute. He can be ranked at the forefront among all the point guard substitutes in the league.

In the second quarter, the Lakers were still under pressure and their defense seemed to be broken. They relied on their unexpected offense to maintain the situation and prevent the Thunder from widening the gap.

It was precisely because they were able to keep the score close that Brooks, who only relied on singles from stars in offense, did not dare to replace Durant, who was the main attacker tonight. Although he did not understand positional offense very well, he at least could see that in the first quarter, it was because of Durant's scoring and assists, which were the highest in the game, that they were able to score 38 points.

Zhang Yang and Gasol on the opposite side performed fiercely in offense, and Brooks decisively chose to use Durant to death.

Harden did see some hidden dangers and increased his singles times in the second quarter, but his performance was not as good as Durant's.

Jordan Hill and Gasol's rim protection had little impact on Durant's attacking performance, but it limited Harden much more than Gasol and Metta World Peace. Harden used the screen to break into the inside and faced the double-team of Gasol and Hill from the front and back. His success rate was much lower than the previous game when he faced the double-team of Gasol and Artest from the front and back.

Just when Harden was attacking for three consecutive rounds, Zhang Yang scored three goals in a row!
One time, Durant was a little slow when he followed out of the three-point line, and Zhang Yang received the ball and threw it directly, making a three-pointer; one time, Harden missed the shot, and Zhang Yang grabbed the rebound and counterattacked, making a layup with a Euro step against two; one time was a normal singles game, and Froissa turned around and made a mid-range shot.

Zhang Yang and Harden faced off for three rounds, and Zhang Yang scored 3 to 7, narrowing the 2-point gap to 7 points. The difference in personality between Harden and Westbrook was reflected at this time. If it was Westbrook, he would definitely rush forward at this time, but Harden chose to pass the ball to the boss who had a higher success rate.

Which choice is better, Erha or Guigui? It’s hard to say, but Erha’s personality is a very important part of Zhang San’s plan…

Durant scored 12 points and 3 assists in a single quarter, and 25 points and 7 assists in the first half. Both his points and assists set new personal playoff half-time highs!
张杨第二节靠着那波3投3中拿到7分，单节拿到14分，半场得分也提升到25分了。

However, although Durant's scoring was caught up, the Thunder's lead became even greater, with a score of 32 to 30 in the second quarter and a 70-point lead over the Lakers at halftime of 65 to 5!
The Lakers continued to be suppressed, and the fans at the scene were very happy, but also felt it was a pity. If Harden had not been "impulsive" to challenge Zhang Yang one-on-one, allowing Durant to continue to compete with Zhang Yang, they might be leading by 10 points now, at least 8 points.

It was not until the halftime break and halfway through the third quarter that fans understood why Harden was rushing to take the lead... Durant, who made 12 of 8 shots in the first half and had a terrifying 67% hit rate, saw his efficiency drop sharply in the second half!
50% hit rate professional Shubao Du is online!
(End of this chapter)